


Blaze

by shadosaur



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Cheese, Deformation, Drama Llama, Fire, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mild Gore, Search and Rescue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-06
Updated: 2014-06-06
Packaged: 2018-02-03 14:40:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1748234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadosaur/pseuds/shadosaur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the chips are down and there's no one left to turn to, who can you trust to save the ones you love but yourself?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started and abandoned this work about a year ago, and I only just dug it out. I like it enough to post it here, but I am unsure as to whether or not to continue with it. If you enjoy it, please let me know! Encouragement always helps.

Panic fogged his mind, mingling with the smoke from the fires and twisting up and out into the general chaos that surrounded him. He was sitting on the edge of the back of an ambulance, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He wasn’t cold, but they wouldn’t let him take it off. It would help with the shock, they said. Bullshit. He wasn’t in shock. He was afraid. He had been watching the crowds of evacuating students and faculty for the past thirty minutes, and there was no sign of Jake. The last he had heard, they were still looking for survivors, but-

“We can’t risk any more men in there, it’s too dangerous. Pull them out.” A police officer stood nearby, speaking curtly through a walkie talkie. Dirk’s mind, slowed to a crawl by anxiety, ground back into action. He threw off the blanket and strode over to where the officer stood.

“‘Scuse me.”

The officer barely spared him a glance before going back to speaking on the walkie talkie. “Not now, son.”

“I’m not leaving. What did you just say about pulling the firefighters out?”

The officer took a deep breath and turned to face him, clearly not in the mood to deal with unruly teenagers, “It seems like you heard me quite clearly.”

“You can’t stop now, there are still people in there! You can’t just leave them to die!” _You can’t just leave him to-_

“Look, kid, our men have been working hard to pull everyone out that they can, but the fire’s getting too out of hand. We need to get everyone we did manage to rescue to safety. You can’t save everyone. It’s impossible. I’m sorry.”

His hands were shaking. He looked over the crowd of evacuees, searching for Jake’s face. He wasn’t there. Roxy and Jane were, thank god, and Dave, but no Jake. He looked back to say something else to the officer, but he had gone back to barking orders to the perimeter.

Letting out an exasperated sigh of frustration, Dirk turned away, thinking desperately of what to do next. He had tried Jake’s cell phone a hundred times already, but after the fourth ring it had just gone straight to voicemail. And Jake never turned off his phone...

He turned slowly to look at the burning building. The flames were climbing higher and higher into the cloudy sky. The school would soon be nothing more than a smouldering pile of rubble. The roof of the gym had already caved in.

He came to a decision in three desperate seconds. No way in hell was he leaving his boyfriend alone to die. Turning swiftly away from the police officer and the paramedics, he flashstepped around to the back of the building. The fire had thankfully not yet overtaken the art wing, and it was easy to gain access through a broken classroom window. He stepped into the design lab and glanced around. A scarf lay abandoned on a table nearby, presumably left behind in the students’ mad rush to evacuate the building. Picking it up, he wrapped it securely around his nose and mouth, tucking it under his glasses, the smell of Chanel filling his nostrils.

AR flashed a warning message as Dirk opened the door into the hallway that once connected this area of the school to the gym. The fire doors were holding so far, but he could tell that they wouldn’t last long. He could see the flames and rubble straining at the supports.

TT: Dirk, what in god’s name do you think you’re doing.

“I’m saving Jake.”

TT: Do you want to die in here? Because that’s exactly what it looks like you’re aiming to do. Martyrs don’t make good icons if no one knows they died, dumbass.

“If the trained professionals won’t do their goddamned job, I will.” He was running up the nearest staircase, trying to remember Jake’s class schedule, where he might have been when the fire began.

TT: I swear, if you get us killed-

“You can’t die. You’re glasses.”

TT: I can melt just fine.

“Stop being a bitch and give me Jake’s class schedule. We have precious little time to spend on you scolding me.”

TT: Fine, fine. But if we die in here-

“Yeah, yeah, you’re blaming me. I get it. Now where should he be?”

TT: He should have been in Biology.

Dirk groaned. That was all the way on the other side of the building, and between him and the science wing was the burning rubble of the gym. He spun around and ran back down the stairs, thinking the cafeteria area might be passable if he hurried.

TT: I wouldn’t go that way, chief.

“And why not?”

TT: I’m picking up large amounts of extreme heat coming from the cafe. Seems the gym doors were open in that direction. The hall’s completely caved in.

“Shit,” he stopped dead on the stairs, thinking. “Is the main staircase still intact? Has the fire reached the second floor?”

TT: Not quite yet, but I’d hurry if I were you. It’s gaining in momentum. Whoever built this building with as much wood as they did was not the brightest Crayon in the box.  
TT: Oh, and don’t flashstep the whole thing all at once. There’s a lot of rubble in the way, and the fire’s eating its way up through the history wing. Gotta be careful.

“Right, short bursts,” he turned around again and sped off towards the history hallway, one hand clamped over the scarf on his face.

 

The closer Dirk got to the main staircase, the more his eyes began to water. The smoke was getting thick.

“AR-” he coughed, “are we too late?”

TT: Not yet. I estimate you’ve got another ten seconds to get across before the foyer gets fireballed.

He lengthened his strides, arriving in the main hallway just in time to see fire roaring up the main staircase. The heat made the hall in front of him waver and distort, and the smoke was now so thick that he could barely see.

TT: Straight shot, chief. Three seconds.

With a single flashstep he was across the main stretch of the hallway and running as quickly as he could away from the large library windows. He rounded the corner just in time to hear a loud roar and see flames begin to flicker at the edges of the library.

He allowed himself a second to lean against the wall and started to cough violently, his eyes watering so much that he could barely keep them open.

TT: Dirk, I’m spotting signs of life.

He looked up, “Sh-Show me.”

An infrared scan showed up on the insides of his lenses, showing him a map of this half of the building.

TT: Downstairs, first door on the right. See that?

“Y-Yeah.”

TT: You’d better hurry, it’s getting fainter.

His body suddenly felt numb and he stumbled against the wall, panic threatening to overwhelm him. “How long do I have?”

TT: Hard to say. It's difficult to spot a human body with all of this heat around. But the gym’s burning fast. It’s gonna break through the doors near that classroom soon enough.

“Shit,” he took off again, bounding down the stairs, holding his breath. He rounded the corner and spun to face the door that AR had specified, and stopped dead.

The door was hanging limply off of its hinges, swaying slightly in the hot wind that emanated from the gym. Inside the classroom, desks were piled haphazardly against the wall, chairs strewn among them and all over the floor. They had clearly been blasted back when the adjacent wall had been destroyed by the cave-in. He stepped cautiously into the room, and his heart sunk a further few feet into his stomach. Half of the ceiling here, too, was caved in, the whiteboard and teacher’s desk no longer visible, cement and rubble scattered everywhere.

“AR...?”

TT: This is definitely where the patch is, chief.

An infrared overlay of the room swam across his field of vision, confirming AR’s statement.

“If he’s in here...”

TT: There ain’t much hope. But there isn’t none. I’d start digging if I were you.

Dirk gritted his teeth. They were running out of time. He waded over to the pile of ceiling rubble through the mess of desks and chairs, calling out as loudly as he could, “JAKE! Jake, are you in here?!”

There was a very long, pregnant pause, during which nothing more could be heard than the crackling of the flames. Then, faintly, “Dirk...?”

The voice was definitely Jake’s.

“Oh thank god...” Dirk immediately flashstepped over to where the voice had come from, AR guiding him with infrared, “Jake. Jake, it’s me. I’m gonna get you out. Just hang tight.”

“Dirk, what the devil are you doing in here? Get out-” Jake’s sentence was interrupted by a heavy bout of hacking coughs. Dirk winced and started shifting rubble aside,

“I’m here to get you. I’m not just gonna leave you here. No way.”

There was no answer, but the coughing continued.

“Shit-” Dirk coughed once or twice but forced it down, tightening the scarf before going back to the attack on the pile of ceiling. “Just don’t talk, alright? I’ll have you out of here in no time.”

 

It was only a matter of minutes before he found him. Grunting and shoving aside a heavy beam, AR’s infrared clearly showed a spot of heat less intense than everything around it. Dirk switched it off and Jake’s head came into view, resting on a large pile of debris. “Jake!”

Jake’s eyes flickered open as Dirk shifted more rubble off of him, little green pinpricks staring dazedly up at his rescuer. His glasses were long gone, smashed somewhere beneath the cement. “Hello...”

“Jake, thank god,” Dirk knelt and spared him a quick hug before returning to shoving debris off of him, “They gave up and I didn’t see you and-” he coughed, “I thought you were dead...”

“I thought I was, too. Does this mean I’m not?”

“No, and you’re not gonna be.” He continued tossing rubble aside, “We’re gonna get you out of here, get you all cleaned up, and you’ll be right as rain in...” Dirk’s sentence trailed off. The last piece of the ceiling he had yet to move lay diagonally across Jake’s legs - a gigantic iron beam, which looked like it weighed a ton. He glanced back at Jake’s sallow face and felt his stomach drop. “Jake... Can you feel your legs?”

“Hm? Um... Well, isn’t that odd, now...”

“You can’t.”

“Uh... No.”

“Shit.”

“Is that bad?”

TT: He’s in shock.

“... No. No, Jake, everything’s fine. Just checking up on you.”

“But if I can’t...”

“Don’t worry about it, okay? Just try to breathe. Stay with me.”

Jake nodded weakly and coughed again.

_Shit... AR, how’m I gonna move this?_

TT: Sounds like it’s time to try some good old-fashioned physics.

_Lever?_

TT: Knew you were me for a reason.

Dirk glanced around quickly for anything he might be able to use to help him lift the beam off of Jake’s legs, employing a basic lever device as AR suggested. A tabletop had come detached from its legs and was lying not too far away, next to a cabinet that used to sit on the wall. “Perfect.”

After a bit of finagling, he had maneuvered his simple machine into place, table balancing on cabinet and poised to be wedged under the beam.

TT: Not to rush your genius, genius, but we’re running out of time. I give us another 10 minutes at best before those gym doors come crashing down and we get torched.

 _Shit._ Dirk looked over at Jake, _He’s barely awake._

TT: Like I said, shock. You’d better get a move-on.

Dirk nodded and shimmied the tabletop underneath the beam, then walked back over to the other side.

_My body weight alone isn’t gonna lift this._

TT: Gee, if only we had some sort of large rubble that no one was using to serve as the counterweight.

_Shut the fuck up._

TT: You’re thinking too slow. Tick tock.

He started maneuvering broken ceiling pieces, bricks, tables, anything that could serve as a weight, onto the tabletop. _If you keep flapping your trap I might just toss you back in once we’re through here._

TT: Such self-deprecation.

The tabletop slowly started to shift, the iron beam groaning in protest. As the beam began to lift off his legs, Jake’s eyes snapped open and he cried out in pain.

“Jake!” Dirk ran over and knelt down beside him, “What’s wrong?!”

“I can feel them now-!” Jake screwed his eyes shut. He was starting to shake, “Oh my god, that hurts--”

TT: That is definitely not a good sign.

“Jake, shit, it’s okay, you’re gonna be okay-” Dirk’s brain was fogging again, _Oh god, no no no--_

TT: Hey, hero, shut up. You’ve got 5 minutes. One more weight should lift the thing. Save your boyfriend now, panic later.

Blindly, Dirk stood and heaved one more pile of bricks onto the lever. Jake screamed as the beam lifted entirely off of his legs, his head falling back onto the pile of rubble behind him, his entire body shaking like a leaf in a high wind.

“SHIT!” Dirk ran over, about to examine Jake’s legs.

TT: No time, dude, we’re running over. Get out!

But-

TT: I don’t care how much pain he’s in, he’s better off screaming than dead!

“Shit shit shit...” Working quickly with trembling hands, Dirk untied the scarf from his face. Instantly the smell of perfume was replaced by a barrage of smoke. He coughed and choked, tying the scarf securely around Jake’s face. Jake barely seemed to know where he was. “Hang on, babe, I’m gonna-” shit, this smoke was thick, “Get you-” cough, “Outta here.”

Slipping one arm under Jake’s back and the other under his knees, Dirk bundled him into his arms. Jake’s head fell forward and lay limply against Dirk’s shoulder, his eyes closed. He wasn’t screaming anymore, but he wasn’t responding at all, either, and that somehow worried Dirk even more than when he was in obvious pain. “AR, what’s the quickest escape route?”

TT: There’s a door in the back of the stairwell you came down. It’s gonna be a close shave, but if you start running now you should make it.

Dirk wasted no more time. The smoke was growing thicker by the second, and the hair on the back of his neck was starting to sizzle. He sprinted out of the classroom, not daring to flashstep with an injured Jake in his arms, and gained the stairwell just as he heard the gym doors creak and fall to the ground. He rammed into the panic bar, but the door wouldn’t budge. “Shit shit shit SHIT - do NOT do this to me now!” He kicked the door as hard as he could, but...

TT: Shit.

A loud roar heralded the escape of the fire from the gym. Dirk dove behind the stairs as the blaze roared into life in the hallway, praying that the structure of the stairwell would hold long enough for him to think of an exit strategy. If not, they were going to die right here under these stairs and this rescue had been for nothing. He looked fearfully down at Jake. Still no movement. He looked-

_He is NOT dead. I pulled him out of that rubble and I am NOT gonna watch him-_

And then a thought occurred to him. A wildly crazy, wonderful thought.

_Hey, AR. What does a chemistry classroom have that makes for an incredibly volatile explosive when combined with incredibly intense heat?_

TT: Is this a multiple choice question?

Dirk grinned, jumping up to stand in front of the door. He hoisted Jake’s limp body more securely in his arms and stared out onto the street. Through the smoke he could just make out the flashing lights of the fire trucks and police cars. From down the hall, he heard a loud snapping noise.

_Fasten your seatbelts._

A loud rumbling sound filled his ears, and a second later the air around him exploded - high fiery gusts of wind whipping around him in a torrent of flames, brick, cement, and metal. He was blown off of his feet and thrown into the air, curling protectively around Jake, shielding his body from the worst of the barrage. He was getting bombarded with bits of wall and burned by flames, and then it was over: he hit the cold ground hard. There was a loud crack, and he knew no more.


	2. Chapter 2

He came to what felt like seconds later, staring up at the cloudy sky, his ears being assailed by a maelstrom of voices. He couldn’t make out anything clearly and tried to shake his head to clear it, but found it blocked by large padded blocks on either side of his face. He tried to move his arms and found that, while his left didn’t move at all, his right was blocked by straps.

 _A stretcher..._ His numb brain was slowly putting the pieces together. _Where’s Jake...?_

As that thought crossed his mind, he jerked back to reality.

 _I just saved my boyfriend from a caved-in biology classroom, and the science wing blew up._ Come to think of it, his left arm hurt quite a bit, _I guess that’s what that crack was..._

A face appeared over his, swimming into focus. It was a young woman’s, blonde-haired and brown-eyed, all business. “He’s awake!” She bent over him, shining a penlight in his eyes, checking for a concussion, “What’s your name?”

“Dirk Strider...”

“What day is it?”

“... Tuesday.”

“And what’s today’s date?”

“November... 13, 2014.”

“Good,” She flicked the light off and looked on the verge of pulling out another test when he blurted out,

“Where’s Jake?”

“Jake? Oh, you mean the boy who you catapulted out of the building with you?” Despite the brevity of the situation, she looked a bit amused.

“Yeah.”

“We’ve got him, don’t worry.”

“Is he-?”

“He’s alive, if that’s what you’re worried about. In critical condition, but alive. He’s on his way to the hospital right now.”

“I need to be with him-” he tried to sit up, but she rested a gentle hand on his chest, “You’re gonna be on your way there soon yourself. You’ve got some pretty serious burns and a broken arm. Gonna need to patch you up in the ER.”

“But Jake-”

“Will be perfectly fine in the very capable hands of our best doctors.” She smiled kindly at him, “I assure you.”

He wasn’t convinced, “... Where are my glasses?”

“You mean these?” She held up AR, “Pretty sturdy pair of shades you’ve got here, I gotta say. Don’t worry, they’ll be coming along.”

His stretcher was suddenly lifted into the air. The EMT stood with him, “I’m going to stick with you all the way there, Dirk, okay? My name’s Mary.”

He nodded numbly and closed his eyes. He felt very dizzy. Soon enough, he dropped off again, the sedative the EMTs must have given him earlier pumping through his veins.

 

The next time he woke up, he was lying in a hospital bed. His left arm was bound in a cast and set in a sling, and he could feel bandages wrapped securely around his torso. An IV was inserted into the vein in his right hand, secured with medical tape. AR sat on his nightstand with an index card that read: “Jake is in room 152, but don’t get up until your doctor releases you! -Mary”

He picked up AR and placed the shades back on his nose. “‘Sup, AR.”

TT: How’s it hanging, hero?

“Immensely suckily.”

TT: I don’t doubt it. Sore?

“Everything hurts, yeah.”

TT: Well you did just play Superman and rescue your boyfriend from a burning explosive science wing. I think you deserve a pat on the back for that one. But, sadly, I’m glasses and therefore do not possess the means to do so.

“Thanks for the sentiment. Don’t suppose you know when they’re gonna release me.”

TT: Your doctor should be coming by any second now. You’ve been out for a while, so-  
TT: Well, speak of the devil.

A middle-aged man with greying brown hair and an expertly trimmed mustache walked into the room, “Dirk, hello, glad to see you’re up. I’m Dr. Garth.”

“Pleased to meet you.”

“Likewise. So, Dirk, we’ve just got a few things to take care of, and then you can go.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. Your arm is set and ready to begin healing, and your burns have been treated. All that’s left to do is give you your care instructions. Now, Dirk, do you have parents or a guardian? Your school didn’t seem to have any such information available.”

“No, I live with my boyfriend.”

“And what’s his name?”

“Jake English. He’s in room 152.”

“Oh, I see. Your thrilling act of heroism suddenly makes more sense.”

TT: Snicker.

 _Shut up._ “How is he?”

Dr. Garth looked grave, “Not tremendously well. He still hasn’t woken up, so we’re not able to assess any damage there might be to his brain, but we have been able to get a handle of what we’re looking at so far as physical damage, and it is fairly extensive. He’s going to have to be hooked up to an oxygen tank for a little while while his lungs get back on their feet: he inhaled a lot of smoke. He has a couple of broken ribs, and-”

“What about his legs?” Dirk couldn’t hold in the question any longer.

“The bones and muscles below his knees, especially in his right leg, have been badly damaged, probably beyond repair.”

The words seemed to spiral horribly in the still air, falling on Dirk’s ears as if they were his own death sentence. “Meaning...”

“Meaning he probably won’t be able to walk again.”

Dirk removed AR from his face, letting his hand fall limply back onto the covers, staring down at nothing in particular.

Dr. Garth looked sympathetic, “I know it must be hard for you, but I want you to know that we’re doing everything we can. He’s very strong otherwise, so we may be able to find a solution. There are surgeries...”

Dirk wasn’t listening. What was Jake going to say when he found out? Physical activity was his life. What was he going to do when they told him that he wouldn’t be able to run anymore? To hike? To drive? To walk his dog, to explore? The news was going to crush him. How could he survive it? Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes and he shoved AR back onto his nose, biting his lip.

Dr. Garth sat by, watching sadly. He rested a gentle hand on Dirk’s uninjured shoulder, “We’ll help in any way we can.”

Dirk nodded numbly. Empty words.

 

Half an hour later, Dirk stepped out of his room, fully clothed with a bag slung over his good shoulder, full of burn cream and bandages and pain killers. He proceeded straight down the hall to room 152. A nurse was just leaving, wheeling a trolley full of IV bags.

“How is he?”

She looked up at him, “Dirk, I presume?”

“Yeah, how did you-?”

“Dr. Garth said you’d be stopping by. Jake’s condition hasn’t changed much, but he’s breathing easier now.” She smiled sadly, “I’m Penny, the head nurse for this floor.”

An announcement came over the loudspeakers: a gentle woman’s voice announcing that visiting hours were over for the day. Dirk looked back at Penny, prepared to argue his case for staying, but she beat him to it:

“As Jake’s next of kin, you’re allowed to stay past visiting hours.”

“Thanks,” he moved past her into the room and she walked off down the hall, her cart rattling softly ahead of her.

Dirk sat down in the chair next to Jake’s bed, dropping his duffel bag on the floor. His eyes immediately fell on Jake’s face. Jake’s eyes were closed, his mouth slightly open, a breathing tube inserted into his nose. He had a white bandage taped to his cheek, presumably covering a burn. His breathing was raspy but regular, his chest rising and falling with a gentle rhythm. Reaching out a delicate hand, Dirk trailed his fingers from Jake’s cheek to his neck, his shoulder, and all the way down his arm to his hand. Much of his skin was covered in bandages. Dirk made to weave his fingers through Jake’s but paused, staring past his hand at his legs. The blanket resting on top of him was loosely tucked in.

_Best to know the worst now..._

Dirk delicately untucked the blanket and lifted it, peering underneath. His heart leaped into his throat and he gagged slightly, shocked and scared. Both of Jake’s legs were heavily bandaged, but blood was already seeping through the wrapping, especially on the right leg. Both legs looked oddly flat around the shin, the right moreso than the left, its deformity stretching closer up to the knee. Dirk quickly dropped the blanket back down and tucked it in, gripping Jake’s hand firmly in his.

The panic and terror of the last 12 hours welled up inside him all at once and tears sprung in his eyes. He took off AR to wipe them, placing the shades on Jake’s bedside table, trying to keep it together. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if he went to pieces now. Jake needed him.

As he pulled back, he again looked into his boyfriend’s face. Even pale and sickly-looking, he was perfect. His long eyelashes rested lightly on the tips of his cheeks as he slept, his full lips parted just enough to see a hint of his teeth. Even with a bandage taped to his cheek and a breathing tube in his nose, he was beautiful. Dirk ran a trembling hand through Jake’s short brown hair, misery welling in his chest. Part of him wanted Jake to never wake up, to just rest here forever in this state of blissful ignorance, because once he woke up and had to face the cold harshness of reality...

_It’s going to kill him._

Dirk’s hand started to shake violently, and before he knew what was happening he was sobbing, letting his head fall onto Jake’s chest, his fingers twisted in Jake’s hair.

 

He didn’t know how long he’d sat there or how long he’d cried. All he knew was that he woke up in the early hours of the next morning, coming to the numb realization that someone was lightly playing with his hair, twisting it in their fingers. His eyes shot open and he turned his head to look into Jake’s face.

Jake’s eyes were open. They were cloudy and dull, but he was definitely awake, and that’s all that mattered.

“Jake-!” Dirk sat up immediately, “Oh my god, you’re awake.” Fresh tears threatened, but he pushed them away.

“Hi, Dirk,” Jake smiled weakly. Amazing, Dirk thought, how he could smile no matter what the situation.

“Jesus...” he started to shake and gave him the tightest one-armed hug he could muster, cursing his sling. “You’re awake, you’re talking. You’re a miracle.”

Jake hugged him back, his grip weak and shaky, “The miracle here is that you came back for me.”

“Of course I did. I wasn’t gonna sit by and let you die, was I?”

“A lot of people would have. It takes guts to do what you did.” He felt Jake’s lips lightly brush his forehead, “My knight in shining armor.”

Tears began to well again. _He still doesn’t know._  “Jake...”

A soft sigh ruffled his hair and he looked up, Jake’s head had fallen sideways onto the pillow, his eyes closed. He’d fallen back asleep. Dirk smiled sadly and sat up, brushing Jake’s hair off of his forehead and straightening his pillow.

 

Dr. Garth appeared again several hours later during morning rounds. Jake and Dirk had been talking quietly together, Dirk doing whatever he had to to avoid bringing up the topic of Jake’s legs. They both looked up as Dr. Garth entered the room, Jake giving him a small smile, Dirk’s expression unreadable.

The whole story was told in ten minutes. Jake stared at Dr. Garth, his face impassive, “Beyond repair.”

“At the moment, yes. My hope is that, if they’re given enough time, they will begin to heal on their own and, with extensive physical therapy, we could get you walking again. Otherwise, there are surgeries we can consider. But, for now... yes.”

Jake looked away, staring out of the window, his eyes blank.

“Do you need a minute?”

Jake nodded. Dr. Garth stood up and quietly exited.

There was a long silence.

“... Jake?”

He turned slowly to look at Dirk, his face still blank, “Did you know...?”

“Yeah, Dr. Garth told me yesterday. But I didn’t want to be the one to tell you.”

He nodded numbly, his eyes oddly clear. He looked down at his hands. Then, all of a sudden, his shoulders began to shake. He screwed up his eyes and clamped a hand over his mouth, tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Jake...” Dirk stood up and sat down on the bed next to him, wrapping his arm tightly around his shoulders.

Jake just shook his head, clearly trying to pull himself together.

“It’s okay to cry, Jake. Really...”

“I don’t cry for me,” his voice was quiet, gummed by tears. “Not _ever_.”

“... You don’t?”

“No! I cry when I feel bad for other people, not me. I always thought - nothing in my life is so bad that I will ever need to cry about it-” he choked. “I shouldn’t cry for myself. It’s selfish.”

Dirk was floored. Even in the most dire of situations, this kid was worried about being selfish. “Jake, you’re allowed to be a bit selfish right now. You just got told that you’re never gonna walk again. I think we’ll understand.” Fuck, now he was gonna start crying.

Jake shook his head again and turned to bury his head in Dirk’s chest, still crying, but not sobbing. “Dirk, what am I going to do?”

“I- I don’t know, babe. But we’ll figure it out, I promise. We always do.”

Jake didn’t answer. Dirk could feel his tears seeping through his shirt. He wrapped his arm tighter around Jake’s shoulders and bit his lip.


	3. Chapter 3

Jake remained in the hospital until the following Friday so the doctors could continue to monitor him. Dirk stayed with him, never leaving his side, sleeping curled up in the chair next to Jake’s bed when he slept at all. Jake’s mood didn’t exactly improve over the week, but he did grow less morose, overcome with a sort of grim determination to make the absolute best of his situation. When he was finally released on Friday morning and after Dirk had lifted him carefully into his new wheelchair, he looked up at him with a small smile and said, “I bet I’ll have some pretty amazing upper-body strength after a couple of weeks in this thing.”

Dirk smiled at him and ruffled his hair, but couldn’t help noticing how quickly the smile fell from his face.

 

The drive home was quiet. Driving Jake’s old Jeep felt odd to Dirk. It cemented the facts of what had happened, at least for him, like nothing else had yet. Jake didn’t speak for the entire ride home. He just stared out of the window, watching the trees whiz past, his chin resting on his palm. Every now and then Dirk shot a glance his way, slightly unnerved by this new twist. Jake used to never stop talking: he always had something to say, always knew what would make Dirk laugh, but now...

Jake’s legs were still bandaged up. The doctors had warned Dirk and Jake to change them frequently for the next week. After that the raw wounds should have been healed up enough to expose to the open air. The nurses had also given Dirk a lot of care instructions: how to help Jake exercise, bathe, get around, and adjust. It’s going to be hard, they told him, but you’ll be able to handle it. You’re both strong boys.

 

Possibly the first thing that made Jake truly smile since waking up was the enthusiastic greeting he received from his gigantic German Shepherd, Scratch, upon his arrival back at home. The moment Dirk wheeled Jake through the door Scratch threw himself on his owner, barking and licking and wagging, one big ball of happy, over-enthusiastic puppy. Jake laughed and hugged him, grinning from ear to ear. Dirk stood by and watched with a smile on his face, leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded.

“Is that Dirk and Jake??” A cry of delight echoed from the kitchen and Roxy and Jane appeared, both wearing aprons and carrying cooking utensils. In Jane’s case a bowl and whisk, and in Roxy’s a spoon covered in half-consumed chocolate batter.

“Oh, boys, you’re home early! You’ve gone and ruined the surprise!” Jane put on a mock pout, then beamed, “We were making a welcome-home cake for Jake!”

Jake, still getting drenched in Scratch slobber, looked up at Jane with a smile, “You didn’t have to do that!”

“Don’ be like thaaaat, Jakey, of courshe we diiiid! We know it washn’t eashy for you in tha’ hoshpital.” Roxy nodded sincerely and took another lick of the spoon.

“Nothing like a nice welcome back party to brighten your spirits,” Jane smiled.

“And a dog. A dog helpsh.”

“Thank you, Roxy.”

“Nnnnnno problem.” Lick.

Dirk chuckled and shook his head, “You two been taking good care of the dog, then?”

“Of coursssse! He’s such a schweetie.”

“We’ve been more than happy to. With school cancelled for the foreseeable future and all, it was nice to have something to do. I also cleaned, I hope you don’t mind...”

“Now that you mention it, the place does seem to have an eerie glimmer.”

“Oh shut up, Dirk! You’re welcome!”

“Nah, I didn’t mean it. Thanks, Jane.”

“Well I’m gonna go finish making thish cake before it burnnnnssssss. Otherwise what’sh the point of a party, I ashk you?” Roxy turned and sauntered off back towards the kitchen.

“Oh boy, I’d better go and make sure she doesn’t light her hair on fire again...” Jane sighed, then brightened, “You two wait here, okay? We’ll take care of everything.”

Dirk nodded and she left, calling out something to Roxy about milk.

Scratch had finally desisted in his efforts to tell Jake exactly how much he missed him and was now lying attentively at his owner’s feet. Jake chuckled and scratched his ears.

“You wanna park yourself on the couch or stay in the chair?”

“Oh, couch, please. I have missed that thing.”

Dirk wheeled Jake over to their large brown sofa (Scratch followed) and bent down to pick him up, slipping one arm under his knees and the other around his middle. Jake wrapped his arms around his neck and Dirk lifted him up and over, placing him on one end so he could lean against the arm. Jake let go and patted the cushion next to him, “Sit, will you? You look dead tired.”

“And you look like death itself. I think we both know where our priorities should lie.”

“We’ve done all the worrying about me we can for now, love. Please sit?”

“Jake, I really shouldn’t. I’ve got things to do. We need to get a bar for the shower and you need new glasses and-”

“Oh for the love of criminy-” Jake reached up and grabbed Dirk’s arm, pulling him down to sit next to him. “Lord knows I won’t be going anywhere any time soon. Take a rest, Dirk, please.”

“Jake-”

“Discussion is over,” he shot him his best pouty glare and folded his arms.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the end of Blaze for now. If you would like to see more, let me know! If I know that other people out there are interested in seeing the story continue, it may light a fire under me to keep it going. Thank you for reading!


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